Victor Wembanyama signed a sneaker deal with Nike for an estimated $100 million.
Readers simply not get enough of Victor Wembanyama, the first-round draft pick who is sparked fresh excitement around the San Antonio Spurs as a disastrous season comes to an end.
This week, Wembanyama was mentioned in two of the most read news articles on the Current. Initially, sneaker bloggers speculated that Nike was going to issue a “Alien” sneaker shortly as part of the 7-foot-4 sensation’s contract with the sportswear brand. The NBA penalized the generational talent $25,000 for throwing a basketball to a fan in the audience, which also made headlines. (Do not worry, we believe he will be able to pay.)
It is also possible to claim that a story about UTSA moving the Institute of Texan Cultures from its downtown location, which was one of the most read stories in the Current this week, had anything to do with Wemby. There is still conjecture that the location may someday become the home of a future Spurs arena.
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ANNOUVERS
Officials in San Antonio describe firefighters’ demands for a 33% wage increase as “unrealistic.”
The deadline for the city and fire union to negotiate a new contract is December.
A San Antonio fire vehicle drives along a city street while illuminated in emergency mode.
The fire union in San Antonio declared on Thursday that it would only accept the city’s proposed 4% yearly hikes if they came with a 21.7% increase in the basic salary of its members.
This translates to a 33.7% wage raise over the following three years, which Deputy City Manager Maria Villagomez referred to as “unrealistic” at the union’s third meeting regarding the collective bargaining agreement, which is set to expire in December.
Villagomez said during the discussion on Thursday, “It feels to us that you are negotiating for what happened in the past 10 years.” “We are focusing on the future.”
Villagomez is referring to the last round of contract negotiations between the union and the city, wherein the union used harsh methods and the fire department employees went six years without a raise.2020 saw the conclusion of that conflict, which was arbitrated.
Along with the salary increase, the union is demanding a new contract that would allow employees to take 72 hours off following a 24-hour shift rather than 48, which would necessitate hiring 404 more workers.
Additionally, union negotiators are requesting that the $56,172 beginning pay for entry-level firemen be increased. Union reps brought up the fact that San Antonio firefighters make less money starting out than firefighters in Dallas, Arlington, and Plano during a presentation on Thursday.
The city insists that it lacks the resources necessary to realize those aspirations. It would be compelled to use funds from the general fund, which is typically set aside for public works projects like street maintenance and libraries.
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Staff Writer Michael Karlis works for the San Antonio Current. His work has appeared in Salon, Alternet, Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, Orlando Weekly, NewsBreak, 420 Magazine, and Mexico Travel Today. He is a graduate of American University in Washington, D.C. His primary coverage areas are politics and breaking news.
ADVANCES
Plans for developers 200-foot-tall Ferris wheel in San Antonio’s downtown
The Grandismo complex, which is two blocks from the Alamo, will also have a food hall, a carousel, and miniature golf.
The 200-foot St. Louis Wheel was similarly designed by the Florida-based amusement firm.
Two blocks from the Alamo, an entertainment complex led by a 200-foot-tall Ferris wheel with sweeping city vistas is being planned by an amusement development business.
According to information posted online by developer Icon, based in Jacksonville, Florida, the Grandismo project will have a custom carousel ride, a miniature golf course, and a food and drink hall in addition to the gigantic wheel of the same name.
The Express-News reports that Icon has an agreement to purchase about an acre of land for the development at 902 E. Houston St. Currently, a Days Inn by Wyndham economy motel occupies the location.
According to the newspaper, the Grandismo wheel will have climate-controlled gondolas with vistas extending twenty miles in all directions. The newspaper also notes that Icon, a 13-year-old, is the creator of comparable projects including the 200-foot St. Louis Wheel and the 180-foot Capital Wheel at Maryland’s National Harbor.
According to an online bio, managing partners Curtis Parks and Eli Stoval, who began their careers in the amusement industry as employees of Schlitterbahn, a water park located in New Braunfels, consider Icon’s San Antonio project to be a kind of a homecoming. The two have collaborated on large-scale Ferris wheel projects as well as water parks, carousels, and speedways across the nation.
According to the Express-News, the city’s Zoning Commission decided this week to suggest a zoning adjustment that would allow the project to proceed. The commission’s recommendations will inform City Council’s final decision about the modification.
A 900-foot Ferris wheel was supposed to be built in 2017 along the Mission Reach section of San Antonio’s River Walk by an unidentified developer. Although the proposed wheel was billed as the biggest attraction of its kind in the world, construction plans eventually fell through for unknown reasons.
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